May. 28th, 2016

[Lux: Ella & Helena]

[Ella was quite delighted to find Helena in town. The world, Ella knew, was small enough to fit itself within a thimble, and yet she was always surprised when things pleased her. Perhaps it was a life built upon hunger that did that. She was never one to expect the gifts beneath the tree, but she could always be counted upon to smile brightest when said gifts appeared. Ella never did question the appearance of crinkling paper and bright silver bows, and perhaps that, too, was upbringing. But, simply, she thought it was the bee's knees that Helena was here. She'd always liked the other woman, who was so elegant and proper. Ella had never been prim nor proper, and a gilded cage hadn't taught her to sing any better songs. Helena was quality, and Ella was a handout on a dirt road, and yet they understood each other.

This night, Ella dressed like frumpery, and she arrived at Lux every inch the lady of the flower shop. The role of spinster, she'd learned decades earlier, made it easier to learn things about a place. Vacuous smiles and freckles bright against alabaster, and no one suspected a thing. So long as her curves were hid beneath loose fabric, and so long as she laughed and smiled and sang, as a proper canary should.

But Helena knew better. In Helena, Ella had a confidant who knew her to be more than this frumpy seller of carnations. Helena knew, if only in the telling, that Ella had tippled her way through the roaring twenties with gin juice in her belly, and with the echoing woods of speakeasies beneath her feet. Tonight, however, Ella walked in and looked around before approaching the bar with all its shine and luster. Uncertain, and deliberately so, she asked the bartender to choose for her, and she fully expected him to return with something featuring an umbrella. Music played, and her pump wanted to dance, but she needed to be tipsy first. Or, so was the expectation of a spinster flower-marm upon the town.]

May. 23rd, 2016

[public]

I'd like to take a poll as to whether doughnuts at Sunday service would up attendance numbers. Does this seem like a productive measure? Or do I purchase them regardless and feed them to the birds if no one does show?

May. 20th, 2016

Public

[Public]

We seem to have managed a month or so without a calamity at an organised event. Is this suspiciously balmy outlook ahead, or have we just reached that point in the year where there are a dearth of holidays to celebrate en-mass that provide suitable sport for crazed scientists?

Given the absence of the teeming hordes, hardy photographers thrown out of buildings not withstanding, this looks curiously like progress in restoring the natural equilibrium. It can only go south, I suppose.

log - helena & wes

[The store was much the same even after the handoff of ownership. It was too quaint to change, and too ingrained into the town to even contemplate, that Helena was perfectly fine leaving most of it alone. Really the only addition was the new hours, a fool’s errand the previous owner tried to warn her, and not in those exact words. But that hardly mattered. She wasn’t opening up hours for his sake.

At least she had found help so quickly. With only the barest skeleton crew available on the dayshift, she had been desperate enough to make her first introduction in town as a plea. It wasn’t as bad as she feared and in no time at all she had herself a new employee and a shipment of coffee coming in, as requested.

The coffee in question was brewing right by the register. Sumatran this time, though she had an assortment of brands and flavors for her new worker to try as he liked. Whatever he ended up preferring she would add to the inventory order, but for now this would do just fine.

The chimes at the front door caught her attention, making Helena stop in her inventorying to check her watch. If it was who she was expecting, he was right on time. Grabbing the box of cans she had been inventorying, she feigned the sound of effort as she easily foisted it up and walked to the front.

Setting her box on the counter with another soft ooof sound, she turned to look at the newcomer. With her hands now free she dusted down the sleeves and front of her sea green shirt that complimented her park of dark blue jeans. Her hair was pulled up into a pony tail, black curls brushing her shoulders as she moved. All in all, she liked to think she looked the part. Absolutely average. Positively normal.]

Shopping? Or…? [Very quickly she realized that she had no idea what her new worker would look like, and she didn’t want to assume.]

May. 17th, 2016

[public]

I never thought I'd see this day, but here I am, wishing school was out for summer because I need a teenager or two. Who knew it would be so difficult finding someone for day shifts?

I suppose that's my roundabout way of asking if anyone knows someone who has some free time (burning love of retail optional), send them to Helena at the general store. I'm the harried one doing stock in the middle of the night.